Presidential Community Welcome Series Launches in Philadelphia

President Thomas LeBlanc will travel around the United States to meet with members of the GW community and share his vision for GW.

President Thomas LeBlanc talked with GW alumni, family and friends in Philadelphia last week. (Photo by Paul Roebuck)

January 22, 2018

George Washington University alumni, families and friends will have the opportunity to meet President Thomas LeBlanc in the coming months as part of a series of community receptions around the country.

During these events, Dr. LeBlanc will share his vision for GW as the university approaches its bicentennial in 2021. These initial priorities took shape as Dr. LeBlanc met with members of the GW community last fall and identified areas of collective aspiration.

His initial areas of focus for the university include the undergraduate student experience; the partnership among the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, GW Medical Faculty Associates and GW Hospital; research impact; university fundraising; and the university’s institutional culture.

The series, hosted by the Division of Development and Alumni Relations, kicked off Jan. 18 in Philadelphia. Philadelphia Alumni Network co-chair Christine “Chrissy” Caggiano, B.A. ’06, offered introductory remarks and played a special video for the guests that captured the innovation and vibrancy taking place on campus and the spirit of what it means to be a Colonial, and featured footage from Dr. LeBlanc’s first day as GW’s 17th president.

Dr. LeBlanc told the audience he believes everyone shares the same ambition for GW: to aspire to preeminence as a comprehensive global research university. Over the past few months, he said, his engagement with the GW community helped him to develop a sense of “what we want to be.”

“I came [to GW] to learn about the specific characteristics of this institution, of this community, our aspirations and our resource base, and then be able to articulate back to our community a shared aspirational statement about what it is we are trying to accomplish,” he said.

GW parents Christopher and Lori Worrell of Gwynedd, Pa., were excited for the opportunity to engage directly with Dr. LeBlanc and learn more about the university’s future. Their son, Spencer, a freshman in the School of Engineering and Applied Science, will graduate as part of GW’s bicentennial class in 2021.

“We really wanted to hear about [Dr. LeBlanc’s] vision for GW,” said Mr. Worrell. “I thought it was fabulous we were provided the opportunity to hear from the president. I think that’s pretty rare.”

Jennifer Maher, B.A. ’04, was interested in learning about Dr. LeBlanc’s academic priorities. She recently rekindled connections with GW faculty through her entrepreneurship work and said their enthusiasm about Dr. LeBlanc inspired her to attend this event.

“They are really excited about some of the ideas he is bringing so I wanted to hear them for myself,” said Ms. Maher. “And it’s nice this event is happening in Philadelphia!”

Presidential Welcome Series
Dr. LeBlanc will travel to the following cities to share his vision for the university and to meet alumni, families and friends:

San Francisco
Los Angeles
Boston
New York

More information about the events will be released soon.

Have a question or comment for Dr. LeBlanc? Share your aspirations for GW with the president.